Last Updated on May 19, 2020, 7:17 AM AST by Anthony Morris
The Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) continued its response to the global COVID-19 pandemic and has opened a treatment centre in Port-Au-Prince, the capital city of Haiti, to help and provide a coordinated response to the novel coronavirus outbreak and to strengthen the capacity of the Haitian healthcare system to deal with it.
MSF has re-purposed the Grands Brûlés hospital in Drouillard, a neighbourhood of the capital, for supporting the patients who have tested positive for COVID-19 and who have been referred by the Ministry of Public Health and Population, for hospitalisation and oxygen.
The COVID-19 Centre is starting its activities with a 20-bed capacity, but it can accommodate up to 45 beds if the outbreak evolves.
However, COVID-19 pandemic is posing multiple challenges for health systems worldwide. In Haiti, personal protective equipment is very scarce (PPE), including essential items like face masks and aprons, and also the medical tools such as COVID-19 tests.
Hassan Issa, MSF Head of Mission in Haiti said that these challenges, including the shortage of medical staff due to travel restrictions, has forced us to reorient our activities at the Grands Brûlés hospital and to rely on the existing staff, who are working with all the efforts to respond to this emergency.
He added that they had made all preparations to prevent the spread of COVID-19 at their medical facilities by strengthening the infection prevention and control and working to make sure that proper Personal Protective Equipment is in stock.
Triage and isolation spaces have been set up in the health structures we manage, and in those, we support across the country. Currently, we are supporting health institutions in Martissant, Port-à-Piment, Port Salut, Les Cayes, Croix-des-Bouquets, and Gonaïves.
MSF is also holding radio and social media communication campaigns, and training sessions to inform people regarding the preventive measures to stop the spread of the disease, including physical distancing, proper handwashing, and wearing reusable masks.
The MSF has been working in Haiti since 1991, providing primary health care to the public and responding to natural disasters and epidemics. At the same time, as we launch our COVID-19 treatment centre in Port-au-Prince, we will continue to provide regular healthcare at our three other health structures in the country.
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
